Waterproofing work on the Rogier tunnel in the Brussels city centre begins on Monday and will be done in two phases, in summer 2016 and 2017 so as to limit its impact on traffic, Brussels Public Works Minister Pascal Smet announced on Friday. The tunnel will remain accessible to vehicles. Minister Smet said the Brussels government had signed off on the specifications for the renovation of the tunnel, which is being rehabilitated, along with a number of others, under the Long-Term Investment Programme approved by the regional ministers so as to improve the safety of their users. A budget of 2.6 million euros has been earmarked for the waterproofing work on Rogier tunnel, whose first phase is to be completed by August 31.
Checks carried out by the SECO external consultancy and Bruxelles Mobilité – the regional administration responsible for equipment, infrastructure and mobility issues - showed that the waterproofing of the tunnel was obsolete and, as a result, water seepage combined with salt had damaged the steel frame and concrete in many places on the underside of the roof of the tunnel. The checks were done on the first part of the tunnel, between Gineste Street and the Manhattan Center (around N°10 Jardin Botanique Boulevard).
The waterproofing work is linked to the final rehabilitation works on the Rogier Square, which are being done concurrently over a period of 15 weeks in the summer of 2016 and 2017. They will be done in two shifts between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. each weekday and, if possible, also on weekends.
(Source: Belga)
